I looked up from my ice cream and studied her for a bit. “I did, yeah. Did you?”
She nodded and took a petite bite of her chocolate ice cream. “It was nice to get out for a bit, yeah.”
I smiled softly. “Maggie, I didn’t mean to intrude or anything earlier. I’ve just never seen that scar, that’s all.”
She shrugged. “It’s fine.”
I reached my hand out, offering it to her in case she wanted some reassurance. “I’m just worried about you, that’s all. I want to know that you’re okay. I want to know that someone didn’t--.”
She dropped her spoon into her bowl. “When are you going to give up and date JoJo?”
My heart dropped into the bowels of Hell. “What?”
She rolled her eyes. “I saw him, Becks. I know he was at the family reunion. I watched you go out there and stay for at least, what? Twenty minutes? Thirty minutes?”
“You saw him?”
“I think everyone saw him.”
I furrowed my brow. “You saw him, and you’re okay?”
She rolled her eyes. “Contrary to popular belief, I’m not some fragile china doll that needs to be kept locked up. Him and I dated, things didn’t go well, and we broke up. End of story.”
I shook my head. “It’s certainly not the end of the story for him, and I know you know that.”
“Becks, JoJo has always had a crush on you. Even when him and I were dating, he always stole glances in your direction. He always asked how you were doing. Hell, sometimes whenever we went out he’d ask to hear stories about you. He was a fucking freak back then, and he’s a freak now. Tread carefully if you don’t want to date him, but if you do, then stop with the fucking act and just put the man out of his misery. Once he fucks you, he’ll move on.”
There was so much to unpack about her statement, and I didn’t know where to start.
“He had a crush on me?” I asked.
She leaned back in her chair. “Do you really find that so hard to believe?”
I blinked. “Considering the fact that I was overweight, had glasses, and still had braces in tenth grade, yeah. I find it very hard.”
Sorrow dripped across her face. “You’ve always been so damn hard on yourself, you know that? Mom and Dad are always talking about it. How you rushed off to the first big city that would take you in because you wanted to find that perfect life. You wanted to find the perfect job and the perfect little apartment and live your perfect little--.”
My jaw dropped open. “You’re jealous.”
“Of course, I’m jealous!” she exclaimed as she stood.
I watched her face turn red with anger as she balled her fists up at her sides.
“You’re the one who’s put together. You’re the little sister that everyone looks up to. When people want to be pretty, they look at me. But, when people want to beliterally anything else, they look at you. Mom and Dad don’t have goals for me. They don’t have aspirations for me to reach. They’re completely content with cooping me up here and stuffing me full of my meds until the day I die because then, they feel like good parents. Screw pushing me the way they pushed you. Screw sitting me down and talking with me about my future the way they do you. As long as I sit pretty with a straight back and smile, they don’t give a shit. But, you?”
Her words were filled with venom, and it was an outburst I hadn’t predicted. Yet, she had a point with everything she said.
And I don’t know how I missed it.
“You’re their light, Becks. You’re proof that they did something right. You’re proof that they can really do this parenting thing, so they gave up on me. They show you off to the world and then they talk me out of ever moving away because God forbid I ever come into contact with something that may or may not trigger my depressive episodes. God-for-fucking-bid.”
I stood and walked around the table. I wrapped her up in the biggest hug I could muster, and she collapsed against me. She sobbed into my shoulder, pouring years of pent-up frustration and hurt into my skin. I kissed the side of her face. I stroked my fingers through her hair. I coached her on how to get it all out; how I was here for the entire weekend, and I wasn’t going anywhere until I absolutely had to.
And when she finally dried her tears, I gripped her shoulders and pushed her out so I could look straight into her eyes.
“You know that if you ever want to get away, I’ll get a place with you. We’ll tackle the big city together. Fuck what Mom and Dad want for your life. All that matters is what you want,” I said.
She sniffled. “You mean that?”
